ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Measures to restrict the import of Gold
The Government has introduced the following measures to restrict the import of gold in the country:
- Imposition of restriction on duty free gold imports from the South Korea as allowed under the existing India-Korea CEPA.
- Imposition of self-use condition on Premiere Trading House and Star Trading House authorised to import precious metal  directly from overseas bullion supplier .
- Issuances of Trade Notice by DGFT for grant of licence for import of Gold to the refinery who holds a valid license from BIS .
- Restriction imposed on export of gold jewellery and articles, including medallions and coins  of purity above 22 carats. .
The above measures have yielded the desired results with 31.25% reduction in the import of gold and 4.29% reduction in import of gold & other precious metal jewellery during the current year  over the corresponding period of the previous year.
India’s import of gold and gold & other precious metal jewellery has increased by 22.31% and 727.51% respectively during the year 2017-18 over the year 2016-17. The details of import of gold and gold & other precious metal jewellery during last three years and the current year are as below:

|
|
Years
|
|
Gold
|
|
% Change
|
|
Gold & other precious metal jewellery
|
|
% Change
|
|
2015-16
|
|
31770.74
|
|
--
|
|
706.37
|
|
--
|
|
2016-17
|
|
27518.03
|
|
-13.39
|
|
381.63
|
|
-45.97
|
|
2017-18
|
|
33657.21
|
|
22.31
|
|
3158.05
|
|
727.51
|
|
2017-18 
|
|
8811.89
|
|
--
|
|
126.21
|
|
--
|
|
2018-19|
|
6058.28
|
|
-31.25
|
|
120.79
|
|
-4.29
Source: DGCI&S, Kolkata 
This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, C. R. Chaudhary, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Sagar Ahlawat for winning Silver Medal at CWG in boxing
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Sagar Ahlawat for winning Silver Medal in Men's 92+ Kg in boxing at Birmingham CWG 2022.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"Well fought by Sagar Ahlawat! Congratulations to him for winning a Silver medal at the CWG in Boxing. He is among India's powerhouses in the game and his success will inspire the younger generation of boxers. May he continue to make India proud in the times to come. #Cheer4India"
Prime Minister's Office
PM reviews preparations against Cyclone ‘Amphan’
25 NDRF teams deployed on ground to manage the situation
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting today to review the response measures against cyclone ‘Amphan’ developing in the Bay of Bengal.
Prime Minister took full stock of the situation and reviewed the response preparedness as well as the evacuation plan presented by the National Disaster Response Force . During the presentation of the response plan, DG NDRF informed that 25 NDRF teams have been deployed on the ground while 12 others are ready in reserve. 24 other NDRF teams are also on standby in different parts of the country.
The meeting was also attended by Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister; Shri PK Sinha Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister; Shri Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, besides other senior officers of Government of India.
Ministry of Steel
SAIL Receives Prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021
The Steel Authority of India Ltd. , under the Ministry of Steel has been awarded with the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for the year 2021 in the Steel Sector by the Institute of Directors.SAIL has been the winner of this award for successive three years. This bears testimony to the efforts made by the Company for sustainable and environmentally responsible steel making.
SAIL is sensitive to global concern for climate change. Carbon footprint reduction has become an integral part of the company’s corporate policies and operations. Deployment of state-of-the-art environment friendly technology, R&D initiatives in association with academic institutes of repute for resource efficiency, creation of carbon sinks by massive plantation drives, gradual shift to LED lighting, enhancing share of renewable energy etc are some of the major initiatives undertaken by SAIL in this area.
Company’s environmental protections measures are focused on adopting various environmental measures including, upgrading of pollution control facilities, water conservation efforts with aim to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge, efficient handling of different solid wastes , carbon sequestration through afforestation, eco-restoration of mined out area and etc.
Ministry of Finance
Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the 7th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of New Development Bank via video-conference
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs and India’s Governor for the New Development Bank , Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 7th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of NDB through video-conference in New Delhi today. The meeting was also attended by Governors/Alternate Governors of Brazil, China, Russia, South Africa and the newly joined members Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates .
Due to ongoing pandemic, this Annual Meeting of NDB which was hosted/chaired by India this year, was organised in virtual mode. This year’s theme for the Annual Meeting was “NDB: Optimising Development Impact”, which is particularly important and relevant in the current global economic scenario.
The Finance Minister, in her statement, underscored the importance of multilateralism and the spirit of global cooperation for economic recovery. In this regard, Smt. Sitharaman acknowledged that the NDB has successfully established itself as a reliable development partner for Emerging Market Economies.
Highlighting that India is celebrating 75 years of Independence this year, the Union Finance Minister mentioned that India’s economic growth in the current financial year has been robust and is estimated to be 8.9 per cent which is the highest among all large economies. This reflects India’s strong resilience and speedy recovery. Smt. Sitharaman expressed confidence that India will continue to achieve a high growth rate in the current and next financial year.
While acknowledging the NDB’s achievements and progress made over the last six years, Smt. Sitharaman highlighted that the Bank has demonstrated strong results within its core mandate. The Union Finance Minister also appreciated the progress made towards setting up of the India Regional Office in Gift City, Gujarat.
The Finance Minister concluded her statement on a positive note, stating that NDB will play a significant and meaningful role in the development journey of its member countries in the decades to come.
About NDB
NDB is a multilateral development bank, set up by the BRICS countries  in 2014 with the objective of mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in the BRICS as well as other EMDCs of the world. The Bank was operationalised in 2015, with its Headquarters in Shanghai, China. Last year, NDB has expanded its membership to include four countries namely, Bangladesh, UEA, Egypt and Uruguay. NDB has so far approved 21 projects of India for an amount of $7.1 billion.
PIB Headquarters
Temporary Augmentation Of Trains
In order to clear extra rush, Kochuveli-Indore-Kochuveli express will be temporarily augmented with one extra AC 3 tier coach.
1. Train No 19332 Indore - Kochuveli express trains will be temporarily augmented by one AC 3-tier coach from 05th December 2017 to 26th December 2017
2. Train No.19331 Kochuveli – Indore express will be temporarily augmented by one AC 3 tier coach from 08th December 2017 to 29th December 2017.
ND ERL: 306
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Ministry of Civil Aviation
430 flights operated under Lifeline Udan
430 flights have been operated under Lifeline Udan by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF and private carriers. 252 of these flights have been operated by Air India and Alliance Air. Cargo transported till date is around 795.86 tons. Aerial distance covered by Lifeline Udan flights till date is over 4,21,790 km.‘Lifeline Udan’ flights are being operated by MoCA to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support India’s war against COVID-19.
Helicopter services including Pawan Hans Ltd have been operating in J&K, Ladakh, Islands and North East region transporting critical medical cargo and patients. Pawan Hans till 2 May 2020 have carried 2.27 tons of cargo covering a distance of 7,729 kms. Special focus has been on the North East Region, island territories and the hill states. Air India and IAF collaborated primarily for J&K, Ladakh, North-East and other island regions. .
Domestic Cargo Operators SpiceJet, Blue Dart, Indigo and Vistara are operating cargo flights on a commercial basis.Spicejet operated 760 cargo flights during 24 March to 2 May 2020 covering a distance of 13,09,310 km and carrying 5,519 tons of cargo. Out of these, 279 were international cargo flights.Blue Dart operated 253 cargo flights covering a distance of 2,76,768 km and carrying 4,364 tons of cargo during 25 March to 2 May 2020. Out of these, 12 were international cargo flights. Indigo has operated 87 cargo flights during 3 April to 2 May 2020 covering a distance of 1,43,604 km and carrying around 423 tons of cargo and including 32 international flights. This also includes medical supplies carried free of cost for the government. Vistara has operated 20 cargo flights during 19 April to 2 May 2020 covering a distance of 28,590 km and carrying around 139 tons of cargo.
A cargo air-bridge was established with East Asia for transportation of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and Covid-19 relief material. 899 tons of medical cargo was brought in by Air India from East Asia.
In addition to the above, Blue Dart has uplifted around 114 tons of medical supplies from Guangzhou and Shanghai starting 14 April upto 2 May 2020.Spicejet has also uplifted 204 tons of medical supplies from Shanghai and Guangzhou upto 2 May 2020 and 16 tons medical supplies from Hong Kong and Singapore upto 2 May 2020.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
New Delhi, 4th February, 2019 German Delegation Meets MoS Commerce and Industry
German delegation in talks with Minister of State for Commerce
A high level German delegation led by Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, German Minister of Economic Affairs, Digitalisation and Energy of North Rhine Westphaliamet with Minister of State of Commerce & Industry, C R Chaudhary, in New Delhi today.
Both sides held discussions on a wide range of subjects with the Indian side looking for greater collaboration with Germany in projects like smart cities, food processing sector, building of airports, dairy sector and technology for green energy.
The German side wished to gain more insight into the economic and industrial development in India and also learn more about German investments in India and their facilitation through the Indo-German Fast Track mechanism. Further, Germany desired to look at opportunities and challenges for German companies in India and to get a better understanding of the start-up India programme and its current status.
The German Minister and his delegation discussed ways of cooperation between the start-up eco-system in India and North Rhine Westphalia region of Germany.
C. R. Chaudhary, said that there is great opportunity for German investment in the 100 smart cities being created in the country and construction of airports which will rise to 400 by 2025 in the country under the UDAN project.
The German Minister said that Germany hopes to see more Indian companies being set up in Germany. Now only 80 Indian companies operate in Germany.
Invest India made a presentation for the German delegation about investment opportunities in India and steps taken for ease of doing business.
Ministry of External Affairs
First Sherpa Meeting of India's G20 Presidency Concluded today
After three days of substantive discussions on an ambitious agenda, and a day's excursion to the hostoric Kumbalgarh fort and Ranakpur temple today, the first Sherpa meeting of India’s G20 Presidency came to a successful conclusion. The meeting saw full and active participation by G20 Members, 9 Guest countries and 14 International Organizations.
2. The excursion to the magnificent Kumbhalgarh fort, a UNESCO world heritage site, perched on the majestic Aravalli hills, held the G20 delegates in thrall. Built in the 15th century AD by Rana Kumbha, surrounded by a massive wall stretching over 36 kms, the grand citadel provides a beautiful view of the surroundings. The delegates toured the historic ruins, terraces and temples of the fort. Over 200 kites were kept flying over the fort during the tour.
3. Delegates thereafter visited the 15th century architectural marvel - the Ranakpur temple - located on the banks of the River Maghai. With intricate designs and architectural finesse, the temple complex encompasses the Parshavanath Temple, Chaumukha Temple, Surya Temple and the Amba Mata Temple. Delegates got a rich feel of and glimpse into Rajasthan's vibrant history and unbroken traditions continuing for millennia.
4. With a blend of productive discussions on an action-oriented decisive agenda, and a unique cultural experience of the many flavours of Rajasthan, the first Sherpa meeting has set the tone for forthcoming meetings in 32 different G20 workstreams, including the Sherpa Track, Finance Track and Engagement Groups. The substantive discussions on prevailing global challenges, and the warm hospitality with the motto ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, resonated throughout the G20 Sherpas meeting and was highly appreciated by all delegates.
Ministry of Finance
Exchange Rate of conversion of the Foreign Currencies relating to Imported and Export Goods notified
In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 , and in super-session of the Notification of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs  No.32/2019-CUSTOMS , dated 18th April, 2019 except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such super-session, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs  hereby determines that the Rate of Exchange of conversion of each of the Foreign Currencies specified in Column  of each of Schedule I and Schedule II annexed hereto, into Indian currency or vice versa, shall, with effect from 3rd May, 2019, be the rate mentioned against it in the corresponding entry in Column  thereof, for the purpose of the said Section, relating to the Imported and Export Goods.
SCHEDULE-I
|
|
Sl.No.
|
|
Foreign Currency
|
|
Rate of exchange of one unit of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
|
|

|
|

|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|

|
|
1.
|
|
Australian Dollar
|
|
50.05
|
|
47.85
|
|
2.
|
|
Bahraini Dinar
|
|
190.75
|
|
178.85
|
|
3.
|
|
Canadian Dollar
|
|
52.75
|
|
50.85
|
|
4.
|
|
Chinese Yuan
|
|
10.50
|
|
10.15
|
|
5.
|
|
Danish Kroner
|
|
10.65
|
|
10.25
|
|
6.
|
|
EURO
|
|
79.50
|
|
76.55
|
|
7.
|
|
Hong Kong Dollar
|
|
9.05
|
|
8.70
|
|
8.
|
|
Kuwaiti Dinar
|
|
236.60
|
|
221.35
|
|
9.
|
|
New Zealand Dollar
|
|
47.50
|
|
45.30
|
|
10.
|
|
Norwegian Kroner
|
|
8.20
|
|
7.90
|
|
11.
|
|
Pound Sterling
|
|
92.55
|
|
89.30
|
|
12.
|
|
Qatari Riyal
|
|
19.75
|
|
18.50
|
|
13.
|
|
Saudi Arabian Riyal
|
|
19.20
|
|
18.00
|
|
14.
|
|
Singapore Dollar
|
|
52.10
|
|
50.25
|
|
15.
|
|
South African Rand
|
|
5. 00
|
|
4.65
|
|
16.
|
|
Swedish Kroner
|
|
7.45
|
|
7.15
|
|
17.
|
|
Swiss Franc
|
|
69.75
|
|
67.10
|
|
18.
|
|
Turkish Lira
|
|
12.05
|
|
11.30
|
|
19.
|
|
UAE Dirham
|
|
19.60
|
|
18.35
|
|
20.
|
|
US Dollar
|
|
70.45
|
|
68.80
SCHEDULE-II
|
|
Sl.No.
|
|
Foreign Currency
|
|
Rate of exchange of 100 units of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
|
|

|
|

|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|

|
|
1.
|
|
Japanese Yen
|
|
63.60
|
|
61.25
|
|
2.
|
|
Korean Won
|
|
6.20
|
|
5.80
Ministry of External Affairs
Mr. Anthony Lianzuala takes over as the New Controller General of Accounts 
Mr. Anthony Lianzuala took over as the New Controller General of Accounts  in national capital here today. Earlier, the Government of India had appointed Mr. Anthony Lianzuala, a 1982-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service  Officer, as the new Controller General of Accounts , Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance with effect from May 1, 2017. He will be the First person from the North-Eastern Region to hold this position.
Mr Lianzuala, a graduate from the Hindu College of Delhi University, has vast and rich experience in the government both at the Centre and the State levels. He worked at higher positions in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Rural Development.
Mr Lianzuala was the first Director of training institute in the field of Public Financial Management and Accounting in the North-East named INGAF-NER, based in Aizawl, Mizoram. He is highly credited for his IT initiatives in the North-Eastern Region. He was instrumental in computerising the functions of the State Treasuries of Mizoram. He has also served in Mizoram as Secretary in various departments including Agricultural Marketing, Border Trade and Relief & Rehabilitation. He was also selected as Managing Director of North-Eastern Agricultural Marketing Corporation , a Public-Sector Undertaking, based in Guwahati.
Vice President's Secretariat
Newly-elected Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla Calls On the Vice President
The newly-elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla called on the Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, at the latter’s residence, here today.
Congratulating Shri Birla on his election, the Vice President expressed confidence that having wide experience in public life, he would strive towards strengthening Parliamentary democracy in the country by upholding the best Parliamentary practices and traditions.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Cabinet allows inclusion of merchant exporters under Interest Equalisation Scheme  for Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to the proposal of the Department of Commerce for including merchant exporters under the Interest Equalisation Scheme  for Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit by allowing them interest equalisation rate of 3% on such credit for export of products covered under 416 tariff lines identified under the scheme. These products are largely in MSME/ labour intensive sectors such as Agriculture, Textiles, Leather, Handicraft, machinery, etc.
The proposal will entail benefits of around Rs 600 crore to exporters on interest equalisation, for the remaining period of the scheme.
Inclusion of merchant exporters in the scheme is expected to make them more competitive, encouraging them to exports more products manufactured by MSMEs adding to country's exports. Additional exports by them will increase production by MSME giving a fillip to employment generation as MSME are generally in the employment intensive sectors.
The present scheme, which is in-force from 1.4.2015 for five years, provides interest equalization rate of 3% on Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Credit tor all manufacturing exporters exporting identified 416 four digit tariff lines and 5% on all merchandise products manufactured and exported by MSMEs. Merchant exporters were hitherto not covered under the scheme.
Exporting community has been persistently demanding inclusion of the merchant exporters also in the ongoing scheme. Merchant exporters play an important role in finding overseas markets, getting export orders, communicating to MSME manufacturers the current preferences, trends and demand for products in international export markets. Merchant exporters also play a pivotal role in exports of MSME manufacturers as MSME manufacturers export significant quantity of products through merchant exporters. High cost of credit equally impact their competitiveness also as they factor the high interest costs in their export costing.
President's Secretariat
President of India to Address Fourth Edition of ‘The Huddle’ – Annual Thought Conclave of The Hindu in Bengaluru on February 22
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Karnataka  on February 21 and 22, 2020 where he will address the fourth edition of ‘The Huddle’ – annual thought conclave of the Hindu On February 22, 2020.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Water Accessibility in Rural Areas
Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission  to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.
At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 3.23 Crore  households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, around 7.48 Crore  rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 13.12.2022, out of 19.36 Crore rural households in the country, more than 10.71 Crore  households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. So far, States of Goa, Telangana, Haryana, Gujarat and Union Territories of A &N Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Puducherry have reported to provide tap water connection to all rural households.
A number of steps have been taken to plan and implement JJM in the whole country with speed, inter alia, which includes joint discussion and finalization of annual action plan  of States/ UTs, regular review of implementation, capacity building and knowledge sharing through workshops/ conferences/ webinars and field visits by a multi-disciplinary team to provide technical support, etc. A detailed Operational Guideline for the implementation of JJM; Margdarshika for Gram Panchayats & VWSCs to provide safe drinking water in rural households and Guidelines on a special campaign to provide piped water supply in anganwadi centers, ashramshalas and schools have been shared with States/ UTs, to facilitate planning and implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission. For online monitoring, JJM–Integrated Management Information System  and JJM–Dashboard has been put in place. Provision has also been made for transparent online financial management through Public Financial Management System .
This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
13-member press team from PIB Gangtok visits CSIR-NIO
Goa, September 29, 2023
A press team of 13 members from PIB Gangtok, lead by Assistant Director PIB consisting of senior correspondents, editors, reporters, freelance journalist and cameraperson visited CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa on 29th September 2023.
Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director CSIR-NIO interacted with the press members and briefed them on the various ocean science research activities carried out by CSIR-NIO. The interactive session included discussions on important issues like climate change, oxygen depletion in the marine waters, archaeology, living and non-living marine resources, EEZ, mid oceanic ridge and underwater volcanic activity. Director CSIR-NIO further explained the significance of these important issues and the research involved, as well as briefed them on the facilities and services to stakeholders provided by CSIR-NIO. Finally, the press team visited the research exhibits with fruitful interactions.
GSK/SRT/PM
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